Flying Monkeys SuperCollider - Double IPA

It's hard to believe it has been 4 months since my inaugural blog entry. In fact, if you go by the schedule of "one blog post per week" that I originally set my mind out to do, this should be lucky post number 14. During those 14 weeks I have had many exciting beer moments. I've traveled to England and Scotland - land of incredible cask ale. I've been to many local beer events, and drank some remarkably rare and tasty beer. I've even... been too inebriated to type a number of times.

But it is this beer that made me come out of hiding and break my endless circle of procrastination to write my second blog post. Why? This could be the beer that puts Ontario "on the map" for DIPA production (I say this to myself staring at the cleverly labeled $8.95 650ml bottle).

Is SuperCollider good? Yes. Can it compete with veteran DIPA brewers south of the border like Bells, Russian River, Founders? Gentle reader, you are about to find out!

SuperCollider looks and sounds impressive. A 12.4% DIPA packing a 160IBU punch wrapped up in a beautifully designed bottle. The beer pours uncharacteristically dark but clear. Some internet sources list the beer style as "Imperial Black India Pale Ale" which is probably a better style descriptor than simply "Double IPA".

The beer puts out a surprisingly high amount of alcohol fumes. Maybe I should expect that given the 12.4%, but I also tend to get spoiled by the American's finesse for balance and control on these massive beers. On the plus side, this is a huge hop bomb with a well executed malt backbone. I'm not sure what hop vareties are used here, but I'm guessing a combination of warrior, cascade and citra. Characteristic light fruit and citrus are present in a big way.

Tasting Supercollider reveals more alcohol presence. Initial sip is citrus and pineapple, followed by a sweet malt backbone and finally a wallop of hop bitterness and alcohol. Finish is very dry and lingering, parching the corners and rear of your palate. Flying Monkeys has certainly delivered a B-52 sized payload of hop bomb, but compared to world class DIPA's like Hopslam or Pliny the Elder, this is a mess.

In conclusion I believe this is not the DIPA messiah Ontario beergeeks have been looking for, and one that needs some tweaking before Flying Monkeys of Barrie Ontario should add this to their usual (and excellent) selection. However, this is definitely a welcome addition to the Ontario brewing landscape, and I applaud Peter at Flying Monkeys for his recent experimentations, world records, and dedication to making Ontario a better place to live for beer enthusiasts!

Until next time... (whenever that is!)

Maudite Stew - Belgian Ale Steak Stew

As a pretty major fan of Toronto's Beer Bistro, I've always been curious about some of their dishes. A trip to Belgium made me even more curious; a random encounter with fellow Canadian also "here for the beer" led to the discussion of Beerbistro. He expressed his fondness for a particular dish called "Maudite Stew", which I'd never seen or had off the menu.

Thankfully, I have a wife who enables my beer addicti...ahem cool hobby. For my 31st birthday she bought me The Beerbistro Cookbook, by Stephen Beaumont and Brian Morin.

The book spans some 250 pages of content. Many of those pages being artfull photos of the food, beer, and the restaurant. Things start off with a short introduction on beer; how to taste it, what to pair it with, and a short primmer on the main beer styles. This is not greatly detailed, but does a good job at seducing the wine connoisseur into the idea of beer being an equally grand drink.

Many of the recipes seem simple, but look closely before you decide to whip something up; often they refer to other pages in the book to make the sauce or prepare another component of the meal. There have also been complaints of some items not working out properly or taking much longer to make than cook than advertised. I'd recommend that you have at least "decent" kitchen skills before attempting most items in the cookbook.

 Belgian Ale Steak Stew

Preheat oven to 350 degrees In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and pepper. Toss beef cubes in flour until coated In large, deep pan heat and melt butter on medium heat. Add beef cubes, browning  on all sides. Work in small batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding. Remove from pan and add onions. Saute until soft. Add tomato paste and continue to cook until onions have become a rust colour. Return beef to the pan and add mustard and beer. Stir well. Bring the stew to a simmer then cook in oven for 1 hour

2 1/2 Lbs Top Sirloin (cubed) 1/2 cup all-purpose flour Pinch of salt and pepper 1/2 cup of butter 8 medium red onions (diced) 1 Tbsp tomato paste 2 Tbsp dijon mustard 1125ml Maudite ( or other malty, spicy Belgian ) - I used 3 12 oz. bottles

Personal Suggestions 

Admittedly, I've never had this in the restaurant, but to me, this did not turn out as good as I'd hoped. I'd suggest adding some potatoes or peas or something to add some more variety to the flavors and textures. I found following the recipe meant you end up with beer, steak and onions. After a few bites you'll find yourself losing interest.

I'd also recommend reducing the amount of beer from 3 bottles to 2. I ended up with a very watery base (even after cooking it for 30 minutes longer than suggested to reduce the liquid). After putting the leftovers away I was left with about 2 cups of broth to pour down the drain - what a waste of delicious beer!

In conclusion -- this isn't the best stew I've ever had, but Maudite does add some extra and unexpected dimension. I think with some personal tweaking, this could be a hit at your next office pot-luck lunch. It may even get that brunette from sales to finally notice you if she gets tipsy enough from the broth!